Handle for bushcraft?

jill jackson

jill jackson

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Sep 5, 2006
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I'm about to order a Bark River Aurora and there's just so many handles to choose from.(dozens) Got it down between African ebony and osage orange.
I like the looks of both and I've read that both are very hard and dense. Which is the best choice for a fixed blade hard use knife?
 
jill jackson said:
I'm about to order a Bark River Aurora and there's just so many handles to choose from.(dozens) Got it down between African ebony and osage orange.
I like the looks of both and I've read that both are very hard and dense. Which is the best choice for a fixed blade hard use knife?
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Personally I like G10 or MICARTA for a hard use blade...

That said. :)

I would go with the Ebony handle. :thumbup:
 
jill jackson said:
Based on looks, or durability?
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I would say both. :D

Ebony looks awesome on a knife and it will hold up better in the long run. :thumbup:

Just remember to take care of it as it's still wood. :)

Rosewood would be my next choice for wood. :)
 
jill jackson said:
I'm about to order a Bark River Aurora and there's just so many handles to choose from.(dozens) Got it down between African ebony and osage orange.
I like the looks of both and I've read that both are very hard and dense. Which is the best choice for a fixed blade hard use knife?
Click to expand...

Looks should not be your primary concern based on your intended use. Also, natural materials should be stabalized if you want a really hard wearing haft. Stabalization involves saturating the pores in a suitable polymer, rendering the material less apt to swell and crack. Materials such as G10 and linen micarta don't cost very much and will perform at least as well as a stabalized hardwood under most conditions. In my opinion slick, glossy smooth handles do not belong on knives intended to be used heavily. A "finish" of 50-80 grit provides a much more secure grip than what the marketing glossies favor for glamour shots.

Good luck.
 
I've made some EnZo blades using Ebony (Macassar) and Cocobolo (a rosewood genus), but have never used Osage. I know that Bark River uses stabilized woods, but surely can't say if they do them all. I like the look of Ebony on the Aurora. It should hold up just fine, stabilized or not, as long as it was dried sufficiently before the work began.

Aurora is on my list of BRKT knives, but it's taking a back seat to the Liten Bror right now...... ((( :D )))

....Just because there are no pics in this thread........................

EnZo Cocobolo and Ebony
IMG_1899.jpg


IMG_1929.jpg
 
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I love ebony and use it on almost every box I make. That said, I don't prefer it for knife handles. It's brittle and a little plain all by itself. When I want a black handle, I choose African blackwood. Rosewoods (like blackwood) are very stable and oily and work well in handles. Blackwood also has a chatoyancy that looks amazing all by itself.

Out of your choices I'd take osage because I wouldn't have to worry about beating it up. I would pick ebony for a more dressy knife.

Edited to add: While ebony is (usually) more dense and hard than osage, osage is the tougher of the two.
 
I've had both and had no trouble with either -- but I don't subject them to the very roughest use.

Might want to chat a bit with Andy Roy. I 'love' his knife handles and his opinion would be valuable.

Not to say that Mr. Dobson's opinion isn't! :)
 
I prefer micarta, but G10 is right there with it in terms of strength and durability. No maintenance required whatsoever. Plus, I like the way it looks!
 
OldPhysics said:
I've had both and had no trouble with either -- but I don't subject them to the very roughest use.

Might want to chat a bit with Andy Roy. I 'love' his knife handles and his opinion would be valuable.

Not to say that Mr. Dobson's opinion isn't! :)
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Thanks.

The nice thing about making a decision like this is that you can't make a wrong one. As long as you like the material you picked, it was a good choice.

I recently made myself a razor and chose desert ironwood burl for the handle. Originally I was going to use amboyna but I broke the piece I wanted to use. I had a choice of probably a hundred different woods (not to mention synthetics). I chose the ironwood after pawing through my bins and grabbing what just looked right. I couldn't be happier with my choice. Whatever you pick will be special because you picked it out.
 
I've used a good bit of osage orange for kit knife handles and it is extremely durable. The Osage wood a beautiful natural shine when sanded to 2000 grit and polished on a buffing wheel.
 
I went with black African ebony. From what I read it's very stable and holds up over time. I like the looks of a jet black handle and one in ebony seemed a bit upscale over synthetic. (it cost more anyway) It will be plenty durable enough for my usage and looks factored into my decision.
 
I'm sure I will love it and the reason I decided to go ahead and buy it for woods use was, I've used a good many cheaper (folders mainly) out hiking and there is a difference in how they all cut wood. Maybe not a lot but when you jump around from knife to knife for the same tasks you can feel it in the way the knife cuts.

I've tried a Mora lately and it seemed to be a vast improvement cutting wood over anything I've used so far. So, the Aurora will become my hiking blade and I think over my lifetime will more than pay for itself in the work it saves me. (cleaner cutting, easier) I could have kept using the Mora, but you know how that goes.
 
check out the Liten Bror to its a fantastic blade. i had to snag one after i got a Aurora:eek::D:D
 
Phillip Dobson said:
Thanks.

The nice thing about making a decision like this is that you can't make a wrong one. As long as you like the material you picked, it was a good choice.

I recently made myself a razor and chose desert ironwood burl for the handle. Originally I was going to use amboyna but I broke the piece I wanted to use. I had a choice of probably a hundred different woods (not to mention synthetics). I chose the ironwood after pawing through my bins and grabbing what just looked right. I couldn't be happier with my choice. Whatever you pick will be special because you picked it out.
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That just makes good sense.:thumbup:

Hmmm. Maybe go with the osage then, just to be different.
 
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